From the East Coast to the Midwest, from Foodie to Mommy on the Go.... Our adventures in attempting to eat low-processed and local food, when the odds are against you.

Monday, April 19, 2010

Coconut-Chocolate Creme Brulee

After all of the recipe stealing I do around here I am happy to post one of my own recipes. This dessert was inspired by Smokejacks on Church Street in Burlington, Vermont. A restuarant I am sorry to say no longer existed the last time I visited.

We served this at the end of a wine tasting this weekend and it won over even those that aren't big fans of coconut and probably ate the dessert just to be polite. The chocolate was the main flavor with a mild coconut finish. If only all the dirty stemware had dissappeared as fast as the dessert my Sunday probably would have been more enjoyable.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place three crème Brulee dishes in each of two 13X9X2-inch baking dishes (or whatever you have that fit your dishes, I needed three random baking dishes). Mix cream, coconut milk, sugar and flaed coconut in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to a simmer, add chocolate and mix well until combined. Cover pan, and reduce heat to a very low simmer (or turn off after 5 minutes) and let sit for 10 minutes to infuse flavors. Pour mixture through a strainer into a large measuring cup.

Making the custard (Crème):
Whisk egg yolks in a medium to large bowl with whole egg until well blended. Temper the egg yolks but whisking quickly and slowly pouring a small amount of the chocolate mixture into the eggs. Mix thoroughly before adding more of the chocolate mixture. After a few mixes you can dump the rest of the chocolate mixture into the large bowl. Whisk until mixed thoroughly. Return custard to measuring cup. Divide among dishes. The custards do not rise so you want them poured fairly full. Pour enough hot water into pans to come halfway up sides of dishes. I pour a little in then place the pan and dishes into the oven, and then pour the rest in to reach half way. Carefully transfer pans to oven and make about 30 minutes or until custards are almost set in the center when pans are gently shaken. Using a spatula carefully transfer custards in dishes to work surface or cooling rack. Cool 30 minutes. Chill at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.

Making the crunchy top (Brulee):
When ready to serve, sprinkle 2 teaspoons sugar evenly over each custard. Working with 1 custard at a time, hold Brulee torch so that the flame is 2 inches above the surface. Direct flame so that sug melts and brown, about 2 minutes. Keep the flame moving in a circular pattern to avoid burning the sugar in any one spot.

About Me

I have been blogging since 2009 under the Blog Coulis and Compote but after after a hundred or so posts I realize that I am not a fancy smancy blogger. I do not have any photography experience, I do not have a book deal or time to give my food it's own photo shoot.... have you seen the rider for macaroon? Oy.
What I do have is a family I need to feed in a timely manner and a love for food which means doing things like throwing a bunch of random ingredients in a crock pot and calling it close enough really doesn't work for me. I love good food and I believe you can have it even if you have little time to cook every night. I do a lot of quick things that I think while simple are tasty and I like to share them with people hoping it means one less Big Mac that gets sold in the world. Hope you enjoy.